Urged

Because of the uniqueness of the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter, apart from the ebony sword, Qin Sang could also nurture a life magic treasure in his dantian with the power of his golden core. When it came to a life magic treasure, Qin Sang still did not know which kind to forge. At present, he knew the forging methods for only four magic treasures: the Yinxuan Pagoda and Yin Thunder Bead from the Ancient Yin Fiend Manual, the Tianyin Conch from Dutian Demonic Sound, and the Primordial Concentric Rings. The first three all required matching cultivation techniques to complement them, so they were out of the question. The techniques preserved in Pagoda Peak were similar in that regard. The Primordial Concentric Rings had originally belonged to someone else, so naturally they could not serve as a life magic treasure either—unless Qin Sang shattered the Yin Ring and forged a new one from scratch. "Once I reach Core Formation, I'll consult the Ancestor and ask him to help select one..." Qin Sang murmured thoughtfully. After forming a core, one would be granted an audience with the Nascent Soul Patriarch, Dongyang Bo. In the nearly one hundred years since entering the sect, he had seen more or less all of Shaohua Mountain's Core Formation cultivators, yet he had never laid eyes on Dongyang Bo. In his heart, this patriarch was an exceedingly mysterious figure. At the thought of being received by Dongyang Bo, Qin Sang could not help feeling a surge of anticipation. Cultivators of the sect could become Dongyang Bo's disciples upon achieving Core Formation, which meant he would finally have a Nascent Soul patron to back him. "I wonder if the Ancestor still remembers that insignificant nobody who sold himself for Foundation Establishment all those years ago?" Qin Sang muttered to himself, which brought Fairy Chenyan back to mind. So many years had passed, yet there had been no news of Fairy Chenyan at all, and even Master Mawu seemed nonexistent, remaining vanished without a trace. Had she formed her Nascent Soul? Logically speaking, after achieving Nascent Soul formation, a Grand Ceremony of Nascent Soul Formation would surely be held, inviting fellow Daoists far and wide to observe the occasion. This thought flickered through Qin Sang's mind, but he quickly shook his head. After that transaction, they had cut all ties. Whether Fairy Chenyan had formed her Nascent Soul or not had nothing to do with him. Unwarranted sentimentality would only court disaster. Today was the day to visit Dichen Cave. Qin Sang stowed the jade slip, departed his cave abode, and flew toward Dichen Cave. The Flying Yaksha surfaced from the abyss. Qin Sang deftly checked the condition of the corpse core. It had been nearly two months since his return, and the Flying Yaksha's injuries had visibly improved. Several hairline cracks on the corpse core had already healed. Qin Sang gave a quiet nod, ordered the Flying Yaksha to sit cross-legged on the ground, and continued aiding its recovery. …… Two shichen later, Qin Sang returned to Shaohua Mountain. Just as he was about to enter his cave abode for quiet cultivation, he noticed someone standing before the entrance—Qi Yuanshou's disciple, Gao Yang. "Oh?" Qin Sang accelerated and landed before Gao Yang, asking with a smile, "Junior Brother Gao, what brings you here? Is Martial Uncle Qi finally willing to let you off the mountain?" Qi Yuanshou had sealed off his mountain for secluded cultivation, so Gao Yang rarely came down; they had only met once over the past two months. The moment the words left Qin Sang's mouth, he noticed that something was amiss with Gao Yang's expression. Thanks to those two top-grade magic tools, their relationship had always been good. Gao Yang trusted Qin Sang deeply, greeting him warmly as "Senior Brother" whenever they met, yet right now his face was dead serious. "Junior Brother Gao, did something happen?" Qin Sang asked in a low voice, wondering inwardly if something had gone wrong with Qi Yuanshou. Gao Yang blinked at Qin Sang while keeping his expression unchanged, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Senior Brother Qin, Master told me to ask you: having accepted the post of Xuanlu Guard, why have you dragged your feet on reporting for duty, idling away your days in the sect instead? Do you treat Qi's orders, the sect's rules, and the military commands of Xuanlu Pass as nothing? You are ordered to proceed to Xuanlu Pass at once, without delay!" Having thoroughly berated Qin Sang on Qi Yuanshou's behalf, Gao Yang dropped his stern expression and whispered the reason: "Don't take offense, Senior Brother. Just now, Master summoned me to fetch a spirit herb, and remembering you had returned to the mountain, I happened to mention it in passing. For some reason, Master flew into a rage and immediately ordered me over to urge you to report to Xuanlu Pass." Qin Sang slapped his forehead, only now remembering that he still held the Xuanlu Guard token Qi Yuanshou had given him. He had accepted the token back then so that once the spirit tide ended, he could use his status as a Xuanlu Guard to head beyond the pass and hunt for treasures right away, seizing the initiative. Circumstances had changed. Now he could attempt Core Formation at any moment, and Core Formation cultivators were exempt from these rules. The Xuanlu Guard token was no longer of any use to him. He had not expected Qi Yuanshou to reprimand him over it. At this thought, Qin Sang realized that Xuanlu Guard tokens were likely hard to come by; the one in his hand seemed to signify the status of a captain, of which there were few even within the Xuanlu Guard. Shaohua Mountain was not the sole power at Xuanlu Pass. Since the token determined whether one could enter the Ancient Immortal Battlefield as quickly as possible, plenty of people were surely vying for it. Qi Yuanshou had secured one for him, presumably at the cost of calling in a favor. Yet Qin Sang had neglected his duties and stayed away for nearly two years, leaving Qi Yuanshou hard-pressed to explain himself to Xuanlu Pass. No wonder he had flown into a rage. Qin Sang quickly asked, "Martial Uncle Qi has come out of seclusion?" "Master left his instructions and went back to his secluded cultivation," Gao Yang replied, shaking his head. "Alright. When you return, please report to Martial Uncle Qi that I know my fault and will head to Xuanlu Pass immediately." Qin Sang's thoughts turned, and he decided not to wait any longer—he would set out at once. Once he formed his core, he would no longer need Qi Yuanshou as a backer, but he could not burn bridges and offend someone for no reason, especially since Qi Yuanshou had meant well. He still had to keep up appearances and provide an explanation to both Qi Yuanshou and the sect. The reason he had lingered here was to wait for the Flying Yaksha to recover. Now that the Flying Yaksha's injuries were improving, as long as he brought enough earth fiend qi with him, treating it at Xuanlu Pass would work just as well. Making a swift decision, Qin Sang took his leave of Gao Yang and immediately scoured the cultivation markets, buying up all their lodestones. He then refined a large batch of Shaoyin Magnetic Bottles and filled them with earth fiend qi—the iron thumb ring had more than enough room for them anyway. Next, he recalled the Flying Yaksha and headed straight for Shangyuan Qingjing Palace. …… Shangyuan Qingjing Palace. Arriving at Shangyuan Qingjing Palace once more, Qin Sang encountered several Foundation Establishment peers before even entering the mountain gate, all bound for the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Across the righteous path's territory in the southeastern part of the Lesser Cold Domain, Shangyuan Qingjing Palace possessed the only ancient teleportation array leading directly to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Now that word had spread that the spirit tide in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was nearing its end, cultivators hoping to try their luck were flocking there in droves. Shangyuan Qingjing Palace opened its doors wide to facilitate passage; regardless of status, so long as one paid a handsome sum of spirit stones, they would activate the teleportation array once enough people had gathered. The surrounding rogue cultivators, sect disciples, and clan members had no choice but to follow Shangyuan Qingjing Palace's rules. Upon entering the mountain gate, an attendant promptly guided them to the guest quarters for a temporary stay, explaining that the headcount was not yet full, but it should be ready by tomorrow evening. Qin Sang was something of a well-known figure, and not long after entering the mountain, he was recognized. They were fellow cultivators who had spent time in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield back in the day. Unable to decline their warm invitations, Qin Sang sat and discussed the Dao with them until noon the next day. A message arrived notifying them that the teleportation array would be activated shortly. Qin Sang bid farewell to the group and flew toward the main hall. Seeing the ancient teleportation array for the second time, Qin Sang possessed far greater insight than before. Watching closely as the Shangyuan Qingjing Palace martial uncle activated the formation, and combining that observation with his insights from recent studies, he began to decipher some of its inner workings. However, very few ancient teleportation arrays survived in the world today, leaving Qin Sang with no opportunity to put his knowledge into practice.